


keyframe

by Zekkass



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Curtain Fic, M/M, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-02
Updated: 2013-04-02
Packaged: 2017-12-07 06:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/745171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zekkass/pseuds/Zekkass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce is digging a Tower-shaped hole, one sheet at a time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	keyframe

**Author's Note:**

> Written for trope_bingo over at dreamwidth. Thanks to legete for beta-reading this and telling me that it's okay that this is ridiculous. :)

"What about those red ones - "

"No," Bruce says for the umpteenth time that day. "Tony, we talked about this."

"Technically it is my place," Tony says, reaching out to poke at the screen. "What about that one?"

Bruce examines the design, the triangular pattern, and shakes his head. Tony has missed something fundamental about what Bruce wants for the furnishing in his bedroom, and it is with mounting patience that Bruce picks through sheet patterns.

"You are worse than Pepper," Tony complains, stabbing at another busy pattern. "How about this?"

"No," says Bruce, and he looks at Tony. "I have to sleep on these."

"And you want plain boring pastel-colored sheets."

"I like boring," Bruce says. "Boring is good."

"Bruce, that is a bald-faced lie."

They stare at each other while JARVIS pulls up another screen of potential sheet designs. One of Tony's robots puts a cup of coffee next to the keyboard, but that's not the only reason Bruce cracks first.

He winds up laughing, and has to take a moment to come down from it, shaking his head. He has yet to get over the impossibility of the situation: agreeing to stay with Tony at his tower is one thing, a stupid thing that he's still not sure was the right decision, but arguing over the color of the _sheets_ on his _bed_ because Tony's designing an entire floor of the tower to be his...

He fought aliens a week ago. He shouldn't be surprised by anything at this point, but then another of Tony's robots brings a plate of toast to go next to the coffee, and it sinks in again at how ridiculous it all is.

"It's not a lie," Bruce says, recovering. "Tony, when I go to bed at night I'm not looking for my sheets to be exciting."

"You're sleeping wrong," Tony says, which doesn't make any sense. He steals a piece of toast. "Completely wrong."

"...By sleeping on boring solid-color sheets."

"Exactly!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Tony."

"It doesn't have to. Just accept that you want sheets that would lure any right-thinking person into your bed."

Bruce pauses, looking at Tony. "If you want to sleep with me, you could start by asking."

"Bruce, I am shocked and scandalized that you would suggest such a thing - I wouldn't start by asking, I'd start like this."

He sets the half-eaten toast aside, licks his lips, and reaches out to cup Bruce's face before leaning in for a kiss.

Bruce's eyes widen as Tony kisses him - he'd known that Tony was interested, he's not blind, he'd been - 

"That's how I'd start," Tony says as he pulls back, licking his lips again, and he looks satisfied.

Bruce swallows and doesn't know what to say. Tony picks the toast back up and resumes eating it.

"Aaanyways," he says inbetween bites, "Red with racing stripes."

"Plain blue sheets." Bruce says, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And if you want another one of those, you'll say yes."

It's only a matter of time before this becomes a problem, he thinks, watching Tony. Tony keeps pushing him, keeps sneaking kisses into their conversations - it's how he talked him into staying, into skipping port and coming to the tower - and Bruce can't give him more.

He shouldn't be pushing back.

Tony winks at him, oblivious (or is he?) to the worry in Bruce's mind.

"You've won me over," he says, looking pleased. "Dark blue silk sheets it is."

Bruce sighs to himself. He can't budge Tony on that, can he? He doesn't try.

"So I'll put an order in for those, and then we can start negotiating lab space - " Tony goes off into details, ones that Bruce is content to let go. He's happy just to have a lab to work in again. He's happy just to have space, a breather where he can rest. No one is chasing him here.

A thought occurs, and he laughs again, finally reaching for the coffee that might not be too hot now.

"What? Bruce, carpets aren't _that_ funny - "

"Tony," Bruce says, "Tony, we're lucky the room doesn't have curtains."

Tony's taken aback for a moment, then a sly grin creeps onto his face.

"Bruce, I am _flattered_ that you just compared us to a newlywed couple. And the curtains would have be red. I wouldn't tolerate anything else."

"Not even gold?"

"...You're making this difficult, dear," Tony says with another wink. "I could be talked into it."

Bruce just smiles into his coffee. He's still of two minds about Tony and what he wants and what Bruce can give, but for now - he'll keep digging himself into a nice Tower-shaped hole.

He can't bring himself to stop, after all.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [stopmotion](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1263208) by [cm (mumblemutter)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblemutter/pseuds/cm)




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